Power clutch shifter



Sept. 12, 1950 H. E. DAVIDSON POWER CLUTCH SHIFTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1944 5 Harp Efiavidson.

Sept. 12, 1950 H. E. DAVIDSON 2,521,779

POWER CLUTCH SHIFTER File'd Oct. 3, 1944 5 SheetsSheet 2 Sept. 12, 1950 H. E. DAVIDSON POWER CLUTCH SHIFTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 3, 1944 Zz Harv/2:7 Kiel/also];

Sept. 1950 H. E. DAVIDSON 2,521,779

POWER CLUTCH SHIFTER Fild 00;. s, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 12, 1950 H. E. DAVIDSON 2,521,779

POWER CLUTCH SHIFTER Filed Oct. 3, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 ,521,779 rowan CLUTCH smrrra Harvey Ellis Davidson, Tulsa, Okla., assignor, by

mesnc assignments, to Bethlehem Supply Company, a corporation of Delaware Application October 3, 1944, Serial No. 556,932

3 Claims.

My invention relates to clutch-operating means, and particularly to power-actuated devices for operating large clutches on hoisting equipment or the like.

The multiplicity of heavy clutches used on oil field draw works and similar hoisting and drilling equipment can usually be engaged and disengaged only slowly and with considerable physical effort on the part of the operator. Anything which decreases the labor of shifting these clutches will reduce his fatigue and enable him tooperate the hoist more rapidly and efliciently.

One object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a more flexible and easily operated draw works.

A further object is a safe and convenient means for power-operating a multiplicity of clutches.

Another object is a simpler and more efficient means for performing rapid change-overs between low and high speed drives on a rotary draw works.

Still another object is a reliable fluid-operated means for providing any desired degree of drum clutch engagement in controlled hoisting or lowering operations.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will appear hereinafter in the specification and in the appended claims.

Referring to the annexed five sheets of drawings, in which like characters of reference indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a hoist or draw works incorporating my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the clutch-shifting mechanism of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the clutch-shifting lever, valves, and linkage;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the clutch-shifting lever;

Fig. 5 is a section of one of the clutch-actuating air cylinders;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail shifter lever;

Fig. '7 is a sectiontaken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6; i

Fig. 8 is a detail. of the small air valve actuating lever shown in Fig. 6; i

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail of the drum clutch shifter lever;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line llll0 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a section on the line i l'il of Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the notched hand lever for shifting the jaw clutch;

of the high-10W Fig. 13 is a top plan view of orient the air conin section;

Fig. 15 is a detail of the distributor slide plate in said valve; I

Fig. 16 is a section on the line I6l6 of Fig. 13; and

Fig. 1'? is a section on the line l'l-I'l of Fig. 16. I

Referring to the schematic diagram of Fig. 1, the base or frame assembly I is formed of the longitudinal I-beam members 2 and 3 held in rigid spaced relation by the transverse I-be'am members t, '5, and B. I

Upon said frame assembly I is mounted the engine l and the hydraulic drive 8, provided with the shaft 9 and the small sprocket lil, whi-ch through the chain l l and large sprocket i2 drive the primary shaft 13 journaled in the bearings i l and :5. The large free sprocket [6 on said shaft is adapted to be engaged to or disengaged from said primary shaft i3 by the high drive clutch I l, while the small sprocket i8 is perconnected by the chain 28.

One end of said secondary shaft is is connected by the jaw clutch 29, actuated by the notched hand lever fill and bifurcated lever 3i pivotally mounted on the shield frame 32, to, the shaft 33, .journaled in bearings 34 and provided with the sprockets 35 and 36. Said sprocket 35 is connected by the chain 3? to sprocket 3-8 on the catshaft 39 journaled in bearings 4b and ll and provided with the cathead pulleys 42 and 43. The I sprocket 3B is connected by the chain dittothe sprocket 45 on the drum-shaft 46, journaled in bearings M and 48 and rotatably supportingthe hoisting drum (l9 and drum clutch 50. I

The other end of the secondary shaft I9 is eon;- nected by the rotary drive clutch 5!, actuated by a hand lever (not shown) or the like, to the shaft 52 jo-urnaled in bearings 53, which shaft 52 is provided with a sprocket 5t connected by a'chain 55 to the sprocket 55 of the rotary drive-shaft 51 journaled in bearings 58 and 59. Said shaft '5] is also provided with the conventional sprockets I 3b. and 6! for supplying power to rotary drilling tables or the like (not shown).

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the longitudinal I-beam member 3 is provided with the protruding annularly flanged stub shaft 62, threaded and held in place by the locknut 63 and Washer 64, upon which on bearing 65 pivots the double ratchet quadrant 66 with welded bracket plate 61. The two-way operating lever 68 pivoted to be moved sidewise orendwise to the stop bolt 69 on the pin in'the bifurcated end II of the rock-shaft 12 is provided with the ratchet lever 13 fulcrumed thereto and adapted by link 14 to raise the dog 15 against the spring 16 held by bushing 11 and pin 18 in'the ratchet quadrant 65.

The rock-shaft 12 is journaled in bearings 19 and 80 supported on brackets 8i and 82 and terminates in the lever arm 83 provided with slot 84 and held against the bearing 86 and bushings 85 by the set-collar 85. By means of the lost motion connection provided by the pin 81 in said slota-IM, clevis 88, link 39, clevis Bil, arm ill of double bell crank 92, and rock shaft 93,'connection is made through the dual lever arms 93' to the low-drive clutch 26, and throughthe further means of the arm 9 3 of said double bell crank 92, clevis 95, link 96 and clevis 91 to the lever 98 and rock shaft 98 providedwith lever arms 93 actuating the high-drive clutch I1.

The small lever '99 on the lever arm 83 is pivoted on the bolt iIlIJ with one end engaging the clevis pin 81 and the other end attached by .thebolt I0! GO-the operatinglever H52 of air valve I03 on bracket I54.

Referring to Figs. 13 to 17, inclusive, said air valve H33 comprises the back plate casting I55 provided with mounting lugs I96 and the central chamber Hi1 and, a plurality of inlet ports I58, .thoseinlet portsnot in actual use being closed by plugs I019 the spring I Iii; the movable slide plate .I-II provided with an upper channel or recessed ,portion H2 as shown in Fig. .15; the faceplate I I3 provided with the central exhaust I I4 and the side outlet ports -Il5. and I I6, and the cotter-pin II1,-spring-retainer .I I8, spring H9, and spring- .pin I28 ineach-of the spring-sockets I 2I;.and

.thesaid operating lever I512 keyed to the valve shaft I22 andnormally held perpendicular by the equalcounter-pressures of the spring-pins I253 on .the. sidelugs or ears I23.

Airsupply pipe I25 connects a compressor or the like (not shown) to the selected inlet port I 33 or th valve U35. Flexible Icopper tubes 1.25 and I26 connect the outlet ports I I5 and I16 thereof .to the inlets I21 and I28 respectively of the -.d0uble-acting.aircylinder I29, pivotally mounted .on lugs I39 by pin I on bracket 232 secured -to the I-beam member 5.

Saidair cylinder I29, as shown in Fig. 5, com- .prises theouter casing 133 and bolted-on cover 134. Through the packing I35, gland I36 and oil ,seal I31-of saidcover passes the-threaded piston rod 138, provided at its inner end with the piston .plate I39, leather cups I40 and MI, follower plates LIMand I43, and jamnut M4, and at its outerend provided with the clevis .I .pivotally attached by ,pin I46 .to-th arm M1 of the double bell crank Referring to-Figs. 2 and 3, the pin I 48 provides a pivotal attachment to bracket plate 61 for ,clevis sand-bifurcated link I58. Said link 55 is provided with a lost motion connection by :means of the pin I-5I loosely movable in the slot :I52bf lever arm I53 (Figs. 9-11) keyed to rockshaft I54 -journaled in bearings I55. By means of the lever I56, clevis I51, link I58, clevis I59, bell crank I60, shaft I6I and bifurcated lever I62, the drum clutch 56 is operably connected to said rockshaft I54.

With reference to Fig. 3 and Figs. 9 to 11,

' inclusive, the small lever arm I63 is attached to the pin I5I, and is pivotally secured to lever arm I53 by the bolt I54. The bottom of said lever arm I53 is pivotally secured by pin I65 to the clevis I66, link I61, and clevis I68 pivotingby pin I69 to lever arm I Ill of air valve I II. Air supply pipe I24 communicates with the inlet port 512 of said air valve HI and copper tubes I13 and H4 connect the outlet ports I15 and I15 to the inlets I11 and I13 respectively of the pivoted doubleacting air cylinder I19. Piston-rod I8!) of said air cylinder I19 is provided with the clevis I8I pivotally attached by the pin I82 to the crank-arm I 83. Said air valve HI and air cylinder I19 are substantially identical in construction with the above-described air valve I03 and air cylinder I 29 respectively.

In operation, the lever 68 may be moved parallel-to the machine, as shown by the arrow of Fig. 3, for placing the drum clutch in or out, orlaterally, as indicated by thearrow in Fig. 4,

.for loworhigh drive clutch engagement. For the low to high shift when the hand lever 68 is moved in or out, the rock-shaft 12 will be rotated so that the lever arm 83 will be moved in or out. Said lever arm 83 can travel the length of the slot 84 without .moving the link 89, but any movement of this lever arm 83 will tend to cause the small lever 59 to pivot on clevis pin 81 and bolt I09 and operate the air valve lever I52. Th air valve I03 will then admit air to the proper side of the air cylinder I29, thus aiding in making the shift directed-by the hand lever 63. Substantially the same-procedure applies to the operation of shifting in or out the drum clutch 55. It is therefore possible with very little efiort to shift the clutches in any manner desired, whether completely or partially or rapidly or slowly, with the air control in all cases tending to follow the operation of the hand lever. Even if the air supply or the actuating mechanism should fail the clutches can still be shifted manually.

It will be understood that brakes and actuating mechanism therefor on the hoisting drum 49 may be of any known type, or they may be of the improved construction set forth in mycopending application, Serial No. 534,508, filed May 6, 1944, now Letters Patent No..2,389,031, issued November .13, 1945, for Braking Device.

Although I haveshown and described my invention in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but may use such substitutions, modifications, or equivalents thereof as are embraced within the scope of my invention or pointed out in the appended claims.

In accordance with the statute, what I claim as new and useful is:

1. In a drawworks apparatus of the class described, including a hoisting drum, alternatively engageable high and low drive clutches connected together and a separate drum clutch, the combination of a plurality of fluid pressure operated clutch-actuating mechanisms, a separate control valve mechanism fo actuating each clutch-actuating mechanism, linkage means connected to each control valve mechanism, a single manually operated control lever movable in two planes at right angles to each other for selectively actuating the control valve mechanisms through the "linkag means, and a lost motion connection between the control lever and each clutch-actuating mechanism, whereby the drum clutch may be engaged or disengaged and the selected one of the high or low drive clutches may be engaged while the other is disengaged.

2. In an apparatus of the class described including a hoisting drum, high and low speed drive clutches and a drum clutch, the combination of abase frame, side brackets on said base frame,

bearings mounted on'said brackets, a rock-shaft journaled parallel to the base in said bearings, a, hand lever pivotally mounted on said rock-shaft, linkage between the rock-shaft and the low speed drive clutch for engaging or disengaging said clutch, linkages between the high and low speed drive clutches so arranged and adapted that one clutch is engaged as the other is disengaged, a stub shaft secured to the base frame adjacent the hand lever, a bracket plate pivoting on said stub shaft, a ratchet quadrant secured to said bracket plate, a dog on the hand lever adapted to engage said ratchet quadrant, a bushing above the dog on the hand lever, a spring between the dog and the bushing to hold the dog normally in engagement with the ratchet quadrant, a link attached to the dog, a lever fulcrumed to the hand lever pivoted to said link to raise the dog from the quadrant to release said hand lever for lateral motion, and linkage between the quadrant bracket plate and the drum clutch for actuating said clutch b the longitudinal motion of the hand lever.

3. In an apparatus of the class described including a hoisting drum,high and low speed drive clutches and a drum clutch, the combination of a, supporting base frame, a quadrant pivotally secured to said base frame, a rock-shaft pivotally mounted beneath said quadrant at a right angle thereto, a hand lever mounted on said rock-shaft,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 718,916 Covell Jan. 20, 1903 1,357,643 Lawson Nov. 2, 1920 1,528,139 Wilkinson Mar. 3, 1925 1,790,168 Paul Jan. 27, 1931 1,957,504 Ponti May 8, 1934 2,009,889 I-Iild July 30, 1935 2,082,410 McCauley June 1, 1937 2,151,881 Wilson Mar. 28, 1939 2,176,170 Flowers Oct. 17, 1939 2,179,082 Benson Nov. 7, 1939 2,205,300 Marsh June 18, 1940 2,207,797 Guier July 16, 1940 2,321,098 Morse June 8, 1943 2,337,166 Overbeke Dec. 21, 1943 2,351,851 Young June 20, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country I Date 483,069 Great Britain July 6, 1936 708,802 France May 5,, 1931 

